Street-sweeping machine.



F. B. FISH.

STREET SWEEPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV 25. 19H. l 159,202. Ilatented Nov. 2, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

F. B. FISH.

STREET SWEEPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION man NOV 25. 1914.

1,159,202,. Patented Nov. 2, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

F. B. FISH.

STREET SWEEPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV 25. 19H.

1,159,202. Patented Nov. 2, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

. W/I'NL'SSES: MVWSNTO/Cf v To all whom it may "concern FRANK BENJAMIN FISH, 0F SPRINGFIELD, OHIO.

' STREET-SWEEPING MACHINE. I

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Application filed November 25, 1914. Serial No. 874,038.

Be it known that I, FRANK BENJAMIN FISH, being a citizen of the United States, residing at 621 North Fountain avenue, Springfield, in the county of Clark and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Street-Sweeping Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to self-propelled street sweeping machines in which a suction dust collecting apparatus cooperates with a motor driven revolving brush.

The objects of the invention are to improve and simplify the construction of such sweeping machines to adaptthe construction to the ordinary form of automobile truck as near as may be, to facilitate manipulating the parts of such machines and to amplify and improve their efiiciency generally.

To these ends the invention consists of the construction, arrangement and combination of the several parts and elements herein described and referred to in the ,drawings accompanying this specification in which,-

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a street sweeping machine embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same with parts broken away to more clearly show the construction. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation vof the. same with parts broken away to more clearly show the construction. Fig. 4 is a front end elevation of some of the more essential parts of the device with parts broken away to more clearly show the construction.

Fig. 5 is a detail of part of the suction noz- 'zle shown in Fig. 4 taken at right angles to that of Fig. 4 and showing parts broken away.

Similar characters of reference denot like and. corresponding parts throughout the views. 1

Referring to the drawing, 1 designates the frame work of a suitable automobile truck having front wheels 2, 2 and the rear driving wheels 3, 3, carrying the usual motor 4 and steering control 5. Power of the motor is carried rearwardly by the shaft 6 which passes through the'hollow stay bolt 6 of the conductor 29 and transmitted by the miter gears 7 to the shaft 8, to which shaft clutches 9 and 9 are connected, also connected to the shaft 8'is a gear 10 communicating motion through the gear 11 to the shaft 12, which shaft is suitably journaled and provided with a sprocket l3 carrying the chain 14: and arranged to drive the sprocket 15, rigidly secured to the shaft carrying the revolving brush 16 which is journaled to frame arms 17, 17, rotatably mounted by means of sleeves 18, 18, to the shaft 12, whereby the chain 14: may drive the said revolving brush in the bearings 19, 19, without changing length between centers. An idler 20 is arranged for keeping proper tension on the driving chain 14. The shaft 12 is also provided with a sprocket 21 which has a chain drive 21 hooked up to drive the shaft 22 by means of chain sprocket 22. The shaft 22 in turn communicates motion to the drive wheels 3 by means of sprockets 3, 3' and the chains 23, 23, connecting with sprockets 23', 23,

mounted on the said shaft 22 which is di-.

- running over the pulley 26 for the purpose of giving motion to the suction fan 27 in the fan case 28, to which fan case air is led by the conductor 29 having a widened lower portion 30 adapted to collect refuse swept up by the revolving brush 16, the nozzle 31 of said lower portion being provided with a guard 32 to assist the ingress of refuse lifted by said revolving brush. A series of flaps 33, 33, etc., preferably constructed of leather or similar material are secured to a on the surface to be cleaned in advance of the revolving brush and together form an PatentedNov.2,1915.

apron which cooperates with the guard 32 a in assisting the ingress of refuse. In addition to the main sweeping brush is a gutter brush 35 arrangedto reach closetothe curb of the street to be cleaned and the same is mounted on a vertical shaft or stem 36, which stem is rotatably and slidably mounted in lugs 37 and 38 and is normally held ;in position by means of a coil spring 36' wound about the body of the shaft 36, the whole when assembled being carried by the arm 39 extending from the body of the truck. A loop or detent 40 is arranged on the side of the seat 60 by means of which'the said gutter brush may be secured in the lifted position. The lower end of the shaft wheel 43 is designed to have cables 45, 45.

connect with said spools at their'upper ends, and with the springs 46, 46 at the lower ends, s'aid springs further connecting at 47, 47 with the frame arms 17, 17 whereby the revolving brush frame with all its connections are yieldingly supported on the surface to be cleaned and may also be hoisted or elevated out of operating position when desired.

The body 48 of the apparatus is primarily constructed as a dust collector and consists of uprights 48 48, etc., and a sloping floor 49 adapted to direct refuse to the rearward.

It is also furnished with additional flooring 50, 50, and with swinging doors 51, 51 which are normally held in closed position by a chain hoist 52, the chain being adapted to be wound on the'spools 53, 53 thereof; and a suitable handwheel 54 with gearing 55 and locking means 56 is arranged to hold the doors in a closed position. Screening cloth frames 57,, 57, etc., closing the top of the body and screenin cloth 58 closing the sides of the body constltute the filtering surface for collecting dust and letting air pass outward from the bodyof the machine during operation. A door 59 is arranged to'close a manhole so that the body of the car may be entered by an individual for inspection and repair. The exhaust pipe 28 of the fan case 28 extends through the sloping floor 49 and its exhaust end is disposed downward so as to direct incoming refuse to the bottom of I. the interior of the body. It is also to be understood that necessary levers 61, 61, etc, are arranged within reach of the seat 60 and have connections (not shown) for controlling the variable speed, the revolving brush drive, and the suction fan drive, at will of the operator.

In the operation of the device the operator seated on the seat16O has all of the handles and levers within easy reach and the motion forward of the machine is controlled in like manner as with gasolene automobiles. The revolving brush may be set in motion independent of the suction fan by the clutch 9, and the suction fan "may be set in motion by means of the clutch 9, the motor being designed with sufficient strength to drive all of these mechanisms collectively or singly. The machine is driven over the surface of the street or other surface to be cleaned in the usual manner, the revolving brush 16 belng allowed to come in contact with greater or less weight according .to the re-- quirements. The forward movement of the machine is gaged to go slower orfaster also according to the requirements of the surface to be swept. It should be noted that if the machine moves slowly and the revolving brush rapidly and with greater or less pressure as required, that a considerable range in the intensity of application'is brought within the control of the operator. It is also of course understood that the revolving brush revolves in the direction opposite to that of the traveling wheels so that a vigorous action of the splints of the brush is given. This action pitches refuse violently forward against the apron 33 where the suc tion produced by the fan 27 causes the same to be drawn upward through the nozzle 31 and conductor 29 and is delivered through the fan case 28 and exhaust 28into the body of the device. The brush 35 which is normally held against the curb 62 in operation throws refuse from the gutter into the path of the main revolving brush, whence it is gathered up as other refuse.

My design especially lends itself to produce a great volume of air and the body of the device is arranged with ample filtering surface so as to prevent impediment in the action of the suction fan. As an incident of the use of the machine greater quantities of refuse will be quickly gathered and a facility for readily disposing of the same is important. In my machine all possible open cracks due to the failure of the floor doors to properly close are readily covered with refuse and the floors are so disposed that refuse is conducted to the doors and that when it is intended to empty body or receptacle the accumulated refuse readily falls wheels, a revolving brush disposed in the rear of said nozzle, a frame swingingly secured to a shaft on. the truck and carrying said revolving brush, the said frame also carrying an apron in front of the nozzle aforesaid and means for varying the positions of said apron and frame with respect to the nozzle.

2. A machine of the character described,

including the supporting frame work of a self-propelled vehicle, a transverse revolving in? thereto from a nozzle adapted to collect In testimony whereof I afiix my signature re use swept up by the brush and apron, in presence of two Witnesses.

said nozzle disposed transversely between FRANK BENJAMIN FISH.

said brush and apron, and means for raising Witnesses and lowering the frame supporting said WV. H. SIEVERLING, brush and apron. FRED. A WAGNER. 

